The Power of One
by Numb3rsfan
Summary: It was all over, Diego and his group were all rescued from the Harnessing Facility by Tom Mason, Dan Weaver and other fighters from the 2nd Mass, but what if the rescue attempt wasn't entirely successful? What if there was one person who was taken from them? With one of his son's taken by the enemy what will happen to Tom Mason and his family and the 2nd Mass? AU/OOC!
1. Prologue

**The Power of One**

_**by**_

**Numb3rsfan**

It was hot, so very hot in the large room. The air was filled with smoke and yet it wasn't that difficult to breathe. The first thing nine year old Matt Mason heard when he came to was the sound of other children moaning; some sounding as if they were in pain, others were crying out for their parents. Lifting his head the boy looked around the room as best he could. He was on his stomach, strapped to a hospital gurney that had been modified by the Skitters. The modifications were simple yet affective. His arms were secured to the sides of the gurney and the one size fits all opening which allowed his face to fit through so that he could lay flat on his stomach was also an attachment to the somewhat padded gurney.

The room he was in was dimly lit; no real lights anywhere save for some burning fires and lights coming from some of the machinery. There were other gurneys; some against the wall, some underneath what appeared to be little slides that looked like they would allow something to flow on to the clothed backs of the other children.

It was a Harnessing Chamber, Matt realized that fact with a start. He was inside a Harnessing Chamber, strapped to a gurney; a prime candidate for the Skitters.

He, Diego and a few other boys from the 2nd Mass had gone to the Harnessing Chamber in the hopes of freeing the rest of Diego's people who had been taken by Skitters and Mechs earlier that very day.

Tom Mason, Matt's father hadn't wanted him to go and in fact had been rather angry with his son because it seemed that Matt wanted to be put in danger and in fact loved the thrill of it. Tom had yelled at him; made him feel like such a little kid who couldn't do anything useful for the 2nd Mass. That was why Matt had gone with Diego in the first place, so he could prove his father wrong. Now, more than anything Matt wished that his father was there to rescue him.

His older brother Ben had been captured by the Skitters too, what seemed like so very long ago. They had put a harness on Ben's back which had turned the boy in to a slave which the Skitters controlled. It was pure coincidence that the eldest Mason child, Hal, had spotted Ben walking the street with other harnessed children, Skitters and Mechs, but ever since that first sighting Hal, Tom and others from the 2nd Mass had given their all to rescue Ben. That was how Hal's girlfriend Karen had been captured and harnessed herself. Now, eventually Hal and Tom had managed to rescue Ben and the others in his group and the 2nd Mass' doctor, Dr. Anne Glass had removed the harness, Ben still had the spikes in his back and he was still a changed boy. Sure he was stronger and his mind was his own once again but Matt knew that Ben wasn't his old self again.

The thought of what Ben had gone through now happening to him? Matt lost it for a second and started to struggle, hoping against hope that the metal cuffs holding his arms down would break and he could get out but they held firm.

Movement off to his right startled him. It was a lone, green Skitter. Matt looked in to the creature's eyes and didn't see any hatred there but it didn't matter. He was still scared of the thing; scared of what it was going to do to him.

"No...no!" he begged, continuing to fruitlessly struggle as the Skitter lifted an appendage, placing green fingers on Matt's head. The youngest Mason's head was pressed down so that he was once again lying flat on his stomach, preventing him from looking around any further. He felt the Skitter brush his hair in an almost loving fashion, like a mother would do to their child to soothe them. It didn't make much sense to him but he decided he was going to worry about that later. For now all he wanted to do was get loose and find his way back to the 2nd Mass as fast as he could.

The sudden sound of machinery caused him to stop struggling and just listen. It sounded close, so very close to him. What he didn't see was a small door connected to the large tank in the middle of the room opening. The tank itself was huge, capable of holding several thousand gallons of water of whatever type of liquid was inside. There were dirty windows all around and every so often if one were to look they would see quick glimpses of many hundreds if not thousands of living creatures swimming by. It was one such creature that slid out of the tank along with a little bit of fluid; enough to help it wash down the metal track that connected the tank to a certain point on the floor, a point that Matt's gurney was covering.

The creature with the appearance of a large slug dropped on to Matt's back with a somewhat sickening plop before beginning to move up the young lad's back towards the back of his neck.

"No!" Matt whimpered, still unable to move his head as the Skitter from earlier was still holding the top of his head down, preventing him from lifting it. "Please! Take it off! Dad! Where's my dad?!" He had tears running down his young face, tears of sheer terror. Where was Tom Mason? Where was his father? Surely the 2nd Mass' second in command wouldn't let this happen to him!

It felt like an eternity to the youngest Mason child but in reality it was only twenty seconds. The slug like creature stopped at his shoulder blades and then reared it's head. Sharp spear like teeth surrounding a circular mouth glinted off of the nearby flickering flames become the creature swiftly made it's move, launching itself down and biting in to the back of Matt's neck.

The nine year old's eyes went wide and he held his breath. There was the look of shock and pain written on his young face but as the seconds ticked by Matt felt his entire body going numb. He tried to move and scream but his own limbs weren't even responding to him! A crunching sound filled his ears; the sound had seemed to come from a long tunnel but the small vibrations down his back all the way to the small of his back told him that the slug had completed the process. What he hadn't seen were the spikes that had grown out of the slug which had pierced his skin; having gone straight through his clothes and in to his spine. With the spikes in the slug's outer skin had changed; the mushy translucency had partly changed and what appeared to be metal supports had also grown in to place. The final result? A harness. It went from the top of the back of his neck all the way down his back; the tail even went in to his pants a little ways, stopping at the small of his back. The outer 'skin' of the harness looked like a dark metal, protecting the mushy inner skin. Once the process was complete the translucent part of the harness began to glow with a dull orangish light, signaling that it was completely operational.

Matt continued to lay there, not struggling at all. His face looked completely passive, as if he were in some sort of trance. The look of pain and terror that had been in his eyes was completely gone, leaving behind nothing. There was not a hint of emotion on his face at all.

Gently the green Skitter loosened it's grip on the young child's head but instead of removing it's hand straight away it brushed it's long fingers through the thick dirty blonde hair as if trying to say that everything was going to be alright.

The sound of a metal door opening had the Skitter looking up. It removed it's claw like hand from Matt's head just as a large, gray Overlord entered the room. The Overlord; what some in the 2nd Mass called 'Fish-Heads,' looked over the newly harnessed boy's body. This was a great chain of events! The Overlords were the driving force; in fact the general masterminds of the whole Earth invasion force! Yes, the Skitters were the Overlords' foot soldiers; the ones that actually had to do the fighting and dying, the Overlords were the commanders; the ones in charge. The particular Overlord was an Espheni; in fact that was the name of their entire race.

Slowly the Overlord leaned down, it's large dark eyes taking in the sight of the harness and who it was attached to. He knew the severity of it all. He knew who the boy was and more importantly he knew who the boy's father was. Oh yes the Overlord had heard of the 2nd Mass and Tom Mason. His 'pet' Karen had been quite forthcoming. She had been a member of the 2nd Mass but during a failed rescue attempt to get Ben Mason, she had been captured and harnessed herself. While the Overlord didn't know about Ben, he knew who the leader of the 2nd Mass was; Captain Dan Weaver, and he knew who the 2nd Mass's second in command was. The resistance force known as the 2nd Massachusetts had been an annoying thorn in their side for awhile now, insisting on waging war against them. The initial Espheni force had wiped out all of the major groups world wide; all nations military force and structures, all major cities were nothing but piles of rubble. Those that survived the initial assault were killed as it was the Skitters and Mechs job to hunt them all down and kill them.

With a Mason child in his grasp the annoying thorn known as the 2nd Massachusetts could finally be crushed! The Overlord knew without a shadow of a doubt that the man known as Tom Mason wouldn't let a thing happen to his boys if he could help it so young Matt could be a successful bargaining chip.

Gently the Overlord undid the restraints on the gurney and picked him up, holding his still form close. It would still be several hours before the boy's mind would be entirely his to control. He had to wait, give the harness enough time to complete it's work and then after that it would be simple. The 2nd Mass would be destroyed and it would be destroyed by one of it's youngest members, Matt Mason.

As the tall Overlord carried the young Matt Mason out of the room, two more Skitters wheeled in two unconscious children strapped to two gurneys, stopping them under two other chutes. One of the children was Gene, Captain Weaver's daughter. The Overlord didn't care about them though. To him they would just be pawns in his little game of war.

Smoothly the gray alien carried the boy in his arms on board his ship. Minutes later the ship lifted in to the sky and flew off. Not fifteen minutes later the main rescue team from the 2nd Mass came; Tom Mason with them but by then it was too late.

They stormed the building and found Diego and some of his group, they even found the Harnessing Chamber itself and Dan Weaver managed to free his daughter mere seconds before a slug would have landed on her back, but as the smoke cleared Tom Mason realized that one very important person was missing: Matt. He wanted to search the rest of the building; he and his two other boys Hal and Ben but Skitters forced them to pull back. With a horrified look on his face Tom Mason was forced to return to the 2nd Mass without his youngest. Inside he was crushed but he also knew that he would never stop looking for Matt until he was safe in his arms again.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

"AAAARRRRHHHHH!"

The sound of something impacting a metal surface inside the tent that belonged to Tom Mason had been going on for the past forty minutes. Everyone in the know knew why the professor was upset. While Diego had agreed that Matt had been part of their first rescue attempt, he had also stated that one Skitter had come in to the holding area and had taken the still unconscious boy from the room; just him. That made the pain Tom felt all the worse. Why? Because it meant that he was too late. Sometime before he and his team had arrived at the facility to help free Diego's group, the bastard Skitters had taken his son.

Tears coming to his eyes, the Mason patriarch finally slumped down on to his cot. There were three simple cots in the tent, one on each side and one against the far wall, directly facing the tent flap. That was Tom's. Hal's cot was on the right hand side and Matt's cot was on the left. Ben had stated time and again that he had no need for sleep so there was no longer any cot for the middle Mason child.

The wet tears slid down Tom's face, leaving track marks as they slid down to drop on to the floor of the tent. He had failed. There was no other way to explain it. He had failed his wife who had been killed shortly after the first attack because she had gone scouting for food with a friend and they had been discovered. He had failed Ben because he hadn't been there to stop Ben from being taken in the first place. Granted, after finding Ben, Tom and his eldest son Hal and the rest of the 2nd Mass had practically bent over backwards to rescue the harnessed boy. Now they had Ben back but now his youngest boy had been taken by the same race of beings that had taken Ben!

A pair of strong arms embraced him, holding him tight. Tom followed the pair of arms to a torso that was covered in a black shirt, and then he tracked upwards to look in to the face of his middle child. Ben. Tom had been so worried about him going on that mission strictly because Ben had been harnessed before. He had feared that somehow something in that facility would turn Ben against them and he would return to the Skitters, but that hadn't happened. Instead, it had been Ben who had broken that tank that had held the living slug like creatures that became the harnesses. It had been Ben who had unleashed the first real act of aggression that evening. For that Tom couldn't have been prouder of his middle child but it still couldn't tell him where Matt was.

"Diego and the other kids in his group are leaving," Ben said. "They don't want to join the Resistance. They feel that it would be safer to find some place to hole up and hide." The dirty blonde haired Mason watched his dark haired father nod his head without saying much of anything. To Ben it was heartbreaking seeing his father like this. The 2nd Mass continued on day after day not just because of Captain Dan Weaver; yes the Captain was their leader but Tom was also their leader. He was a part of their voice. He gave them hope! He was their hero! The Hero of the 2nd Mass! Who else could say that they had willingly walked on to an alien ship and managed to find a way to escape?!

"Dad, we will find him!" Ben said in a clear, commanding and reassuring voice. "Matt is not going to give up hope on us so we can't give up hope on him. He's counting on us to come find him." Ben looked in to his father's eyes, trying to show him the confidence he felt.

"We will find him."

Tom forced a small smile to cross his lips. His middle child was so sure of himself, so sure that they would find young Matt. It was obvious that he wasn't going to take no or impossible for an answer so come hell or high water, Matt Mason was coming home to them.

Slowly Tom put a gloved hand of his own on Ben's shoulder and nodded his head. "We will find him," he agreed.

Hal watched his younger brother attempt to calm and reassure their father. He understood just how horrible his father had to feel. Realizing the one person you yourself had come to save was nowhere to be found; it was very hard to stomach.

Hal had been there when Diego had talked with Weaver, explaining how it had all happened. Their group had been too slow; too scared of the Mechs on patrol. One made too much noise and it brought the Mechs and Skitters down on top of them. Matt had been hit first by one of the Mech's stun bolts and soon the rest of the group had been dropped like flies. It had seemed to Diego that while he and his group were trying to kill them, the Skitters and Mechs themselves had gone out of their way to take them alive.

Walking away from his father's tent, Hal headed towards the Command Tent. He felt as if he should be doing something; patrolling, perhaps rustling up a scouting party so they could go search for Matt. Ever since returning from the rescue mission forty five minutes ago, the 2nd Mass had seemed as if it was licking it's wounds.

Dr. Glass had gone to treat Dan Weaver because he had been bitten in the leg by one of those harness creatures and a few others from the 2nd Mass had packed up some more supplies for Diego and his bunch.

Passing by the Captain's tent, Hal watched Gene leave the tent and walk over to Diego who was just getting on a bike. Gene was crying. It was quite obvious to Hal that she was torn because no matter what she choice she was going to have to say goodbye to someone. While Gene loved her father and was pleased beyond measure to know that he was alive, she also loved Diego, and now that the time had come for her to choose, to Hal it was quite obvious that she had chosen Diego.

Whispering a silent 'good luck' Gene's way, Hal continued on his way towards the Command Tent.

"Hal..."

Hearing his name the eldest Mason boy stopped in his tracks and looked to his left to find Maggie heading towards him, her pistols seeming to gleam a little in the light from the Med Bus.

"Maggie," Hal greeted in a tone of voice that seemed to question what Maggie wanted in the first place. The blonde haired woman fighter and certainly come a long way in a short time. Hal could still remember first laying eyes on her when she worked for Pope and his gang. She had even beaten him up a little when he had attempted an escape. In the end it had been Maggie that had made it possible for the team to escape and regroup with the rest of the 2nd Mass and ever since then Maggie had been fighting for them and had certainly won her stripes; becoming an official member of the Resistance unit.

Wordlessly Maggie reached out and hugged Hal. It was a quick hug; over in five seconds but it left the dark haired Mason boy a little confused. Maggie didn't seem like the affectionate type. She was always guarded yet gun-ho when it came to fighting Skitters. So, where had this hug come from?

"Sorry to hear about your brother," she said.

"He's not dead Maggie, he's just missing. We are going to find him though. We are going to find him alive..." Hal replied.

"Harnessed?" Maggie asked.

That one single word caused Hal to flinch and his face to fall a little because it forced him to picture his baby brother with one of those glowing things on his back. Seeing Ben like that had been bad enough but trying to picture Matt like that? It was difficult.

Letting his mental walls fall back in to place Hal crossed his arms together and shrugged. "I don't know...maybe. The facility was a Harnessing Facility and we know he was there...it's just..." Hal purposely bit his tongue to keep himself from saying what he had been about to say.

"It's just...what?" Maggie asked.

"First mom was killed, then Ben was taken and then dad purposely walks on to one of their ships and now this?! It's just a lot to take in..." he replied.

Seeing Maggie was about to say something more Hal just shook his head and walked away from her. He wasn't in the mood to talk, he was in the mood to do something, anything physical. He went to the Command Tent and managed to get himself on sentry duty even though it wasn't his night to be out there. It was obvious to everyone else that Hal was suffering more than he was letting on which was why he was posted out in the first place.

It was hoped by pretty much everyone in the camp that with the rise of the morning sun things would look better; more hopeful. They definitely needed some good news. The aliens leaving the planet was too much to hope for so hearing about a safe place to bed down, more food or even more medicine would be good news to them.

The weather was changing, it was growing colder. Soon enough there was likely to be a lot of snow on the ground. Winter was coming and with it Christmas and the harsh reality that along with the known enemy, they were going to have to battle the cold, harsh environment. It was something no one was really looking forward to but they all trusted their leader. He would not lead them astray.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Young Matt Mason opened his eyes and in one smooth motion sat up. His face still contained that fine sheen of dirt it had before but that was about it. There was no emotion written on his young features at all. His pupils were pinpoints and his eyes themselves were not fixed on anything in the small room he was in.

The harness that was attached to his back glowed like fire and Matt could almost feel a sort of heat coming from it. Inside his head he heard many voices; many thousands of voices all talking at once, in complete harmony. In all of that chaos he heard one voice louder than the rest calling his name. It wasn't a voice he recognized but it was a voice that he instantly felt he could trust. He couldn't explain why but the voice reminded him of his father in that it was commanding yet warm and it was going to keep him safe.

Wordlessly, Matt jumped up from the floor and started to walk. The metal door he approached instantly opened, allowing him to leave the room.

The ship he was on was dimly lit and the hallways were long, twisting and many looked the same but it didn't matter. Matt didn't really use his eyes to navigate the hallways he had never walked before, he used his hearing. He focused on the voice in his head, using that as a beacon to guide him. The harness on his back didn't wipe clean his other memories; memories of the 2nd Mass and his family. It didn't take any of that away from him. He could still remember clearly everything his brothers and his father had said about the Skitters but now with the harness it was like he was finally getting the other side of the conversation and he came to realize that everything he had been brought up to believe about the Skitters or as he now longed to call them the 'Guardians' was wrong. They and the Overlords were Earth's saving grace. They were trying to make the Earth in their own image and more importantly they weren't trying to kill. It was the humans; the Resistance that was forcing them to kill to protect their own.

It had to stop; all of the needless deaths. The humans needed to understand that there was no possible way to win this war. They were vastly outnumbered and all they were doing was delaying the inevitable.

Making a right down a corridor Matt arrived at a large door. The door was almost metallic but it looked greenish as well, like the Guardian's skin. On it's surface was what looked like a hand print indentation only the hand print wasn't human. The fingers were longer and thinner and the structure itself was vastly misshapen.

Still, as Matt stepped up to the door the hand print turned counter clock wise and parted straight down the middle revealing that the large door was in fact two doors which lifted up from the ground allowing Matt entrance in to the room.

Stepping in to the room Matt saw that it was huge, at least the size of an auditorium. There was a strange looking chair in the middle of the room with three steps leading up to it. Behind the chair was a wall and on the wall were different images. It reminded him of of many television screens without the actual boxes that supported the screen. He saw many streets, some with empty abandoned cars, he saw buildings, some with power which were obviously in use by the Espheni. Wordlessly Matt walked across the room, up the three steps and past the chair in which a single Overlord sat, watching him with it's dark eyes.

"_You recognize it, don't you?"_ the voice in his head asked. Matt gave no indication that he heard the question. He didn't need to. Unlike humans who had to speak with their mouths in order to communicate, the Guardians and their flock had no need to use such primitive communication skills. Their thoughts were shared with everyone at any given time. Ben had told him that it was like they knew and understood your needs before you even knew it yourself. Matt felt that same way but there was more to it than that. It was like they were with you inside and they only wanted what was best for you.

Matt stared at a particular screen which after a few seconds grew bigger, blotting out the smaller screens. It showed a far off glimpse of the 2nd Mass through a group of trees. The screen tightened to show Tom Mason entering the Command Tent and Ben Mason heading out on patrol.

"_You aren't moving against them, Master."_ Matt noted. If the Espheni knew where the 2nd Mass was then they should strike; break the Resistance up before more lives could be lost on both sides!

"_Now is not the time to strike them down, my son,"_ the Overlord replied, _"We must be patient. Soon everything will be in place."_

The young boy turned away from the screen and approached the Overlord. It had called him 'son.' If it had called them that a day earlier he would have rejected it outright. He was no one's son but Tom Mason's. Now however Matt didn't feel close to that simple minded human at all. Tom Mason may have been his father once but now? Tom Mason meant nothing to him. The Overlord was his Master, his Guardian, his friend and more than that Matt felt as if it was his father.

Gently the giant Overlord lifted a hand and ran a single finger down the boy's left cheek. He could feel and hear the boy's thoughts and emotions. He could feel the boy's love and devotion for him, his kind and the war. Was it genuine? That was a question for the ages. The harness on the boy's back had a lot of sway in the way the boy was feeling. It was manipulating the boy, not just keeping his body in a drug induced haze but also rewriting and twisting his thoughts and feelings; transforming him in a way in to one of them.

The Overlord looked Matt over trying to decide what to do. He had the boy, he had leverage over the Mason clan and the 2nd Mass as it was. Even so, it was just so easy to lose that leverage. All the Mason's and the 2nd Mass had to do was find out where the boy was, mount a rescue attempt, take him and remove the harness and just like that his leverage would be gone. Matt could just be a casualty. Why not just take what he wanted now and be done with it?

That was how he was treating Karen. He took her information on the 2nd Mass as it had been when she had been a part of it and now he basically uses her as a mouthpiece towards the humans and especially Tom and Hal Mason.

He had her devotion, her love. He could feel her growing hatred towards the humans. She wanted them brought down just as much as he did.

Matt though was different. It wasn't just because he was nine years old and it wasn't just because he was one of Tom Mason's boys. The more he looked at him the more the Overlord realized that this situation had to be treated delicately. He wanted Matt. Not just in the way a Master wanted a slave or a soldier but also in the way a parent wanted a child. He couldn't explain it, he had never felt such a bond before with any other living creature but with Matt the Overlord felt something deep inside. No matter what he couldn't allow Tom Mason and the 2nd Mass to take Matt back. Matt was no longer one of them he was an Espheni, all the Overlord needed was to make Matt really believe that without the harness' true influence. If he could do that; make Matt turn against his own kind then he believed that the Espheni could turn the tide of the war once more. Because if he could do it once with one child he could do it again with other children.

Deciding to try an experiment the Overlord, with just the briefest thought manipulated the harness on the boy's back. He didn't remove it, didn't disable it, instead he merely allowed Matt to have some of his free will back. Free will was an important aspect to every race the Espheni had come in to contact with and it was that free will that was going to help him take full control over the young human boy.

The Espheni watched Matt slowly blink, a single tear streaking down his face. He could feel the boy's growing fear but instead of doing anything to further scare the boy, the Espheni Overlord simply stroked Matt's head and said through their telepathic link, _"There is no need to be frightened my son. You are home now. You are home..."_

With a wave of his other hand the view screen behind his chair changed to a vast forest scape that the ship was slowly flying over.

Having choice being restored to him, Matt felt his fear returning but to hear the Espheni call him son in a loving mental voice and touching him in that loving manner, Matt felt confused. He still felt that warmth flooding over him, telling him that things were going to be okay, that _he_ was going to be okay. He still felt that he was a part of something grand and yet he still felt afraid. He missed Tom Mason and his brothers, he wished they were there with him. Maybe with them there, what was going on could be more manageable.

"_You will see them again young one. I promise you, you will all be a family again if you wish it..."_ That voice, so calm and enchanting, Matt couldn't help but believe it. He looked up at the Overlord and a small smile crossed his face before he nodded his head.

Seeing the look on the boy's face, the Overlord stood up and gracefully headed towards the door. Even though there were no physical words spoken Matt heard the Overlord's voice in his head, inviting him to follow.

Sensing the trust in the Overlord's voice, Matt turned on his heel and followed the Espheni out of the room.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

His father was mad at him. There were no if's, ands or buts about it. Ben knew he was in the wrong. He should have told Tom that he had been in contact with a Skitter since the time of Jimmy's death but come on, everyone thought the Skitters were their enemies and Ben didn't want his father turning on him or calling him a traitor or a freak.

That was why he had kept silent and that was why he had stayed by Red Eye's side when the attack had happened.

Earlier that day Ben had felt the call and had gone to the rooftop. There he had met up with Rick and Red Eye, the leader of a band of Skitters who had fought the affects of their harnesses and were hell bent on waging war on the other Skitters and the Espheni.

They had been attacked by other Skitters and Red Eye had been wounded. Rick had gone to get help and after a day he had brought back Tom, Dan Weaver and a unit from the 2nd Mass. Of course explaining to his father that Red Eye; the one that had tortured him on the alien ship was actually a good Skitter, the leader of a rebellion was difficult but eventually Ben had been successful in having Tom convince Captain Weaver that taking the Skitter alive was the better option rather than killing it.

Hearing footsteps approaching Ben looked up towards the tent flap as it was pushed back to reveal none other than Tom Mason in all of his angry glory.

"Dad I," Ben began but he was almost instantly interrupted by the elder Mason. "Just what the hell were you thinking?!"

Ben understood his father's anger only too well. The man was scared. His family was once again torn apart and he was struggling to pull it back together.

"I know it's hard to understand dad but this Skitter, he's not like the others. Yes he tortured you but he didn't want to. It was the only way the Espheni would not suspect him. He had to find out if there were others like him, he had to find their locations."

The younger Mason boy didn't give up when he saw his father shake his head in denial. Instead he said the one thing that he knew would make Tom listen.

"He could find out where Matt is."

Hearing that, Tom immediately looked his son in the eyes. He was desperate for any news of his youngest. Right then the 2nd Mass really had no idea where to start looking for the boy. There was no video, no footprints, nothing; no way to know where Matt had been taken after he had been harnessed.

"Matt?" Tom asked.

"I told him what had happened last night; how we believe Matt was harnessed and then he disappeared. Red Eye promised me that he would have his undercover operatives search for Matt immediately. Dad, I think he's our only hope. Not only of beating the Espheni but of getting Matt back. The longer he's with them..." Ben bit his lower lip, not speaking the obvious.

He himself had been harnessed for months and when it had finally been removed, well...he still had his spikes and his back was covered in thick, crusty skin that wasn't normal; the skin having started out around the spikes and was now growing out and getting worse. What he could do with the spikes was amazing: lift cars, jump from great heights and land without injury, see farther, have sharper hearing, not having to sleep at all, not getting tired as easily...he didn't know if it was worth everything he had gone through to get to that point. Ben knew the longer his baby brother was with the enemy then the greater the chance Matt would have to live the same way when they got him back.

Tom didn't know if he trusted the Skitter that was currently locked up but he trusted his son and if there was any hope of getting his youngest back he had to seek out assistance.

"I know..." Tom said, placing a gloved hand on Ben's right shoulder. Sighing, he nodded his head. "Okay, when the Skitter wakes up I'll talk to him."

Knowing that was going to be as good as it got, Ben simply smiled and nodded his head. He trusted his father to actually talk to Red Eye rather than jump to the conclusion that he was just an infiltrator that needed to be broken, drained of information and then killed. The one thing that Ben was now worried about was the Death Squad. They were after Red Eye and everyone associated with them which meant that everyone in the 2nd Mass was in very real danger but explaining that to his father now? No, it wasn't a good idea, not until Tom had a chance to talk with Red Eye.

The whole entirety of the Overlord's ship was huge. It was a Beamer of course but it looked a whole lot bigger on the inside.

The Overlord had finished giving Matt the 10 cent tour of the place and had actually shown him the 'bridge' of the ship and where all of the controls were. It wasn't like a human ship at all or anything from any science fiction novel he had ever read. It was unique and that was why he found it fascinating.

His master had made it clear that he wasn't to be like all of the others; like Karen and so many other harnessed children. He would not be devoid of true expression, free will or his true identity. The harness on his back would not take that from him. Instead it would work with him, keeping him fed and healing any potential injuries.

Everything he had seen so far spoke to him, telling him that everything they believed about the Espheni was completely wrong. Matt was torn. He didn't want to think of Tom Mason and everyone else as liars but he couldn't deny what he was seeing with his own two eyes and what he was feeling through the harness.

"_Something is troubling you."_ the voice of his master spoke to him in his head even though he was no longer by the Overlord's side.

"_Yes," _he thought back, _"Ever since your arrival here on Earth I came to fear you and your kind. I thought of you as monsters who wanted nothing more than to eradicate the human race. Now I see and more importantly I feel that this isn't true. Master there are so many out there, so many that need to be shown the truth. It could stop the hostilities...lives could be saved."_

He felt a comforting weight on his shoulder even though there was no one there physically touching him. In his mind's eye he saw the Overlord there at his side, comforting him.

"_I am afraid that they would not listen my son. Fighting, death and destruction are in their nature. It is all they know. I do not wish to see any harm come to them either but they simply will not just lay down their weapons. They choose to fight against us and so we must choose to defend ourselves."_

He was right though, Matt could see that. Still, he didn't want his father or his brothers to die because of their own stupidity. If they could be made to see the truth then they could be saved. It wouldn't be easy, the young Mason boy realized, but he couldn't just stand aside and do nothing. While he was making plans within plans, the Overlord was also watching him, inwardly smirking. His plan was working surprisingly well. The boy was seemingly quick to turn his back on everything but the Overlord knew only too well that looks could be deceiving so he was going to keep a close eye on the boy, nurturing him and steering him in the direction he wanted Matt to go. It was the only way that the 2nd Mass would be brought down.

While the 2nd Mass wasn't the only group fighting against them they were the most annoying; the one single group that seemingly made it their mission to be a constant thorn in their backsides. That had to stop and with the boy in hand the Overlord was sure he could see the destruction of their pitiful band of misfits. And in the end if they didn't surrender well then the Espheni Overlord had a plan in mind as well. Even though nuclear bombs hadn't been dropped in a little while, he had no qualms about using one to take out the Resistance unit. He didn't use it now because there was still much work to be done in the state; work that would be ruined with the ensuing radiation that would be spilled should he order a nuke strike. No, he was going to give the humans their last chance to surrender and back down and if they didn't then all bets were off. There would be no more chances, no more delays, no more failures.

Sensing some commotion, the Overlord turned his attention away from Matt Mason and towards another threat that seemed to be presenting itself rather suddenly. A Skitter Rebellion. How could this be? How could _this_ be?! It was impossible and yet as he heard the other voices talking about it he realized that it wasn't. An uprising was occurring, an uprising that could bring hope to the humans. This could not happen! The Skitter Rebellion could not happen!

Concerned, the Overlord went to seek the advice of the others. They would help him, they would tell him what to do. He couldn't lose the battle. He just couldn't! He wouldn't! He had to find out just how the incident had occurred and how to prevent it from happening again. He was not going to lose this war!

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	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

It was time. Matt stood at the right hand side of his Master at the top of the ramp, watching Karen and a group of harnessed children descend on to the dry leaf covered ground. Karen's harness was removed but Matt could still feel and hear her in his head. The plan was in motion. Karen was supposed to get in to the 2nd Mass, gain their trust and then take them apart from the inside. It was all planned out very carefully. They knew where Hal was going to be, all they needed to do was in effect plant Karen where she would be found and then Hal would do the rest.

Karen still loved Hal; Matt and his Master could still feel that. It was something that even the harness couldn't completely dissolve. She still wanted Hal and if things worked out the way they were supposed to she would have him.

Once all of the children were on the ground floor two Skitters went down the ramp as well. They walked right up behind the children and one at a time they ripped out the harnesses. Almost immediately all of the children fell to the floor in a heap, their backs covered in a mixture of blood and sticky fluid from the harness itself.

One by one Matt heard all of their voices which had been so loud and harmonious in his head just slip away until they were gone.

It was hard watching Guardians kill the joined when they had done nothing wrong but there was a price that had to be paid to allow Karen in to the 2nd Mass. Given that she was now part of the Espheni, the 2nd Mass wasn't going to take anything at face value which was why Karen wasn't going in alone. No, they needed some de harnessed kids to sell the story that she had escaped from the clutches of the Espheni. People in the 2nd Mass wouldn't believe it but Hal would. He did have a soft spot for Karen.

As the Skitters began to half way bury the now dead bodies of the de harnessed children in leaves, Matt continued to just stand there watching, the harness on his back continuing to glow with a dull orange light.

"_Soon my son, soon your family will be returned to you."_

Slowly Matt looked up in to the dark eyes of his master. He knew whom the Espheni was referring to. Ben. His master had promised him that his brother would be by his side soon. One by one his siblings and then his father would be brought in to the fold as it were and then they would be a family again; a family and yet part of a bigger family. It would all begin with Ben.

Like clockwork all of the children were buried in leaves and then it was Karen's turn. As she was being buried, the Overlord walked down the ramp himself leaving Matt standing at the top. It was not his time yet. Besides, he had been promised that when they met again he would have his brother back.

The moment the Overlord stepped off the ramp and on to the ground the ramp behind him began to lift up back in to the ship. Young Matt watched until the ramp obscured his vision entirely before he turned back and walked further in to the ship. Yes his master was no longer physically with him but he could still feel the Espheni's presence inside his mind.

The only way he could describe it was being wrapped inside a blanket on a cold winter's night or being inside joy or love. It was exhilarating, it was enchanting, it was the happiest he had ever felt in his whole entire life. He felt like he was a part of something grand, something that was much bigger than him; much bigger than the entire planet.

He dearly wanted Hal and Ben and yes even his father to share that joy with him but he knew it wouldn't be that easy. They were still human with all of their faults and all of their mistakes. They wouldn't give that up easily. They had to be made to see that what they were fighting for was wrong. They just had to! Otherwise...Matt didn't want to think it but he knew the truth. If they couldn't be made to see then there was no hope of them being a family. They would be too far gone and if that time came he knew they would have to be destroyed. Keeping that thought to himself Matt began to head back towards the control room so he could keep tabs on the ongoing Espheni effort.

...

It was an incredible story, Tom had to give Red Eye that. The Rebellion, Skitters overcoming the harness and turning against their masters. It was so fantastical how could it be real? If the Skitters could fight against the harness then why couldn't they take on the Espheni themselves? Why now? Why would they need the help of the human Resistance?

Tom had heard the explanation; not many Skitters had the defect in their harness and there was no hope of defeating the Espheni alone but if they banded together; fought together side-by-side then they could push their common enemy back, perhaps liberating the entire planet. It was a huge pill to swallow, Tom just didn't know if he could believe it.

Deciding that he should go talk with Red Eye once more he left his tent and began to walk to lockup. Lockup was just a well built room in the hospital's psych ward that had been fortified so that it could hold a Skitter. Yes the 2nd Mass was staying in a hospital and yes there were beds a plenty yet some were still camped outside so they could man the perimeter. It was Captain Weaver's orders; there had to be someone on the perimeter at all times. Still, Tom had sent several scouting parties out to look for fuel. With Dan currently sick because of the bite he had received at the Harnessing Facility and the hospital's generators running low on fuel, the 2nd Mass needed to find some not just to keep the generator running but also so they could get to Charleston.

Charleston. It sounded like a dream come true. Fresh food, hot water and survivors; other survivors. It was supposed to be the home base of the new America. They had an established government, an army...what more could anyone ask for? At first Captain Weaver had wanted to take the 2nd Mass up in to the Catskills to bed down for the winter but Tom and a pilot they had run in to had managed to change his mind so after Jimmy's funeral Captain Weaver had made the decision to make the trip. Now they were well on their way but stuck at the hospital because they didn't have enough fuel.

Just as he was reaching the doors of the hospital Tom saw a large mass of people from the 2nd Mass spilling towards him with Hal and Maggie smack dab in the middle.

"Hal?!" Tom called out, worried. He turned and hurriedly walked towards his eldest son. The closer he got the clearer his eyes became. Hal was definitely holding something, no make that someone in his arms and given his tense frame Tom could tell he was worried about whomever he was holding.

"Hal what...?" Tom began again but his eldest quickly interrupted him with two words; two simple words that sent a chill down his spine.

"It's Karen."

As his son passed by Tom got his first look at Karen. She was pale, dirty, unconscious and she had no harness on. No harness? That meant she wasn't being controlled by the Skitters! Opening his mouth Tom was about to tell Hal to take Karen to Dr. Glass but before he could his middle child Ben blocked their path.

"Don't trust her! Don't trust anything she says." He said, standing in front of the door leading up in to the hospital itself.

"What?" Tom asked, "Why?"

"She's still one of them. I can hear her in my head," Ben replied, gazing down at Karen with a look that suggested he wanted to shoot her.

"Come on Ben, this is Karen we are talking about here..." Hal said, pleading with his younger brother. "All of the kids that had their harnesses removed before died! I'm not going to let that happen to Karen so move!" Hal was all but ready to mow down his younger brother if it meant getting Karen the help she needed. She wasn't part of the enemy any more. Her harness was gone!

"No, Ben's right. Put her in the psych ward for now. If there is any chance that she poses a danger to the 2nd Mass...we need to be careful," Tom said, looking in to Hal's eyes just to make sure his eldest understood. Karen would get the help she needed...in the psych ward. Tom had no problem having Anne go to Karen but it would happen where there was security around. If Karen still posed a threat to the unit then she needed to be contained.

"Fine..." Hal muttered, brushing past Ben, carrying Karen in to the hospital.

"And I want guards on her around the clock!" Tom ordered. Ben, knowing he was perhaps the only one that could truly keep an eye on Karen he volunteered right on the spot to guard her and when Tom agreed he went in to the hospital, following after Hal as he made his way to the psych ward with his precious cargo. As he walked Ben could tell that Hal must have loved Karen very much. He understood that Karen had been taken before be had been rescued and he understood that Hal had had a severe crush on the girl but for him that didn't change the fact that Karen was still a danger to them all so the sooner they got rid of her the safer they would all sleep.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Her orders were clear. Take Ben no matter the cost. Her master believed that the boy was in contact with the rebel Skitters. The only way to figure out if her master's hunch was correct was to get inside Ben's head and to do that she had to gain his trust.

Karen knew what the Overlord was telling Matt; that she was there to bring down the 2nd Mass _and_ get Ben. Oh how stupid and trusting that child was. What Karen didn't understand was why her master was so determined to turn the boy against his own kind. Why didn't the Overlord just put the harness back in complete control of the Mason child and be done with it? If he did the boy would be their's; would do anything they told him to do.

Why all of the elaborate schemes and lies to get him to like them?

The only thing that Karen could think of was that her master wanted Matt to undergo the Change; otherwise known as the Transformation. There was nothing mystic about it, it was just a lengthy procedure which would cause the harness to dissolve in to the body itself. It would still be there but on the inside; underneath the skin. Once that took place things would begin to happen. You would become something no one had ever seen before. Your knowledge would be insurmountable, your strength beyond measure. You would even develop certain powers. What those powers were was up to you and how well your body accepted the Change. In essence you would become a true Espheni just without the tall body, fish shaped head and terrifying eyes.

Oh how Karen wanted to tell Tom that there was no hope of ever getting Matt back. She wanted to see his face the moment the realization sunk in. More than that, she wanted to see his face when she had Ben and Hal at her side. Ben, he thought he was so smart, he thought he understood her but he was like clay in her hand. For Karen it was almost too easy to connect with him. The best part was when Hal had caught them together a little earlier. It was just too simple to blame it all on Ben; to tell Hal that Ben had more or less forced himself on her.

Karen knew Hal's temper; knew he would confront Ben. Ben would come back to her though and when he did she would act. Her fake crocodile tears and the scared look on her face would move anyone. Sitting down on the small bed Karen picked up the mystery novel that Hal had brought her and opened it up. She pretended to read, flipping a page every few minutes to sell the fact that she was reading.

In truth she was anything but. She was planning. Having been with the 2nd Mass for a few nights, that very night it was time to act.

Her master and Matt would be waiting for her at the rendezvous point and that was where they would all reveal themselves to Ben. In truth Karen expected a little resistance from him. Despite the ground she had been able to make with Ben, she still felt his hatred for the Skitters and what they had done to him. Getting him to come back to the family would be difficult but with Matt also in the picture, she didn't think it was impossible.

Closing her eyes Karen concentrated. He was close. Her master was close by. She could feel his loving presence watching over her. The boy was coming too; Matt. He was still on the ship but he would meet them there at the rendezvous before she would arrive with Ben. Everything was proceeding according to her master's will.

**...**

Matt felt the Beamer flying above the tree tops heading to a specific location in a wooded area several miles from the 2nd Mass' campsite. He was quite looking forward to seeing Ben again. He was their main objective. Matt had been able to glean that information from his master's mind not that long ago. The 2nd Mass wasn't the main objective after all, it was Ben. The master thought that Ben was in contact with the Rebel Skitters. If that were so then Karen could convince him to lead her to them and then wham! They could dispense with the rebels the way one would whack an annoying fly from a pane of glass. Of course Ben wouldn't be killed as well; his master had already promised him that.

There were only two main roads leading away from the hospital the 2nd Mass was camped at. Both roads were being carefully monitored so there was no way Ben would slip past them when Karen made her move. Besides, Karen would let them know for certain which direction they were heading when she and Ben left the hospital. The plan was all coming together nicely.

Steadily Matt studied the large tank before him. It was another harnessing tank. Inside there were thousands of the little slugs swimming around, waiting to attach themselves to a potential victim. They were a fantastic feat of engineering. They weren't alive in the natural sense; they couldn't think for themselves. They were programmed with only one thing in mind: connection and control. They created the link between the host and the Espheni. The link was what gave the Espheni their power over them as it allowed them complete and total control.

Gently Matt placed his right hand on the glass wall of the tank, peering through the murky fluid, trying to catch a glimpse of one of the slugs. He could feel them; seeing them was the problematic thing. If they didn't want to be seen then the slugs swam so fast that you couldn't see them.

Within ten seconds though, one of the slugs slowed down and swam over to the glass, it's mouth and mandibles moving as if it were trying to bite down on something.

"_Yes, you'll do..." _Matt thought to the creature. His master had tasked him with choosing the harness that would be given to Ben. They weren't going to stun him and take him to a harnessing facility. Oh no, since Ben had his spikes all they had to do was put another harness on him. Given Ben's strong will they might have to convince him to let the harness have control but once he did he would be a part of their family once again.

Closing his eyes Matt concentrated on Karen's voice. It was happening. She and Ben were running, jumping off of the roof of the hospital and running off. It wouldn't be that much longer now.

Smoothly Matt pressed a button. There was a hiss of steam and then a door on the side of the tank opened. A few seconds later a slug slid out of the hole and slid down the chute to land in a specially prepared box that Matt had placed there a few minutes ago. The box would keep the slug wet and secure until it was time to implant it on Ben's back.

As the door on the tank closed and sealed itself once more, Matt knelt down and closed the lid on the box. He picked it up and then walked out of the small harnessing room. Everything he was hearing from both Karen and his master told him that the time was near. It was now time to leave the ship with his prize.

Carrying the box, Matt walked down the corridor, down the ramp and off of the ship. The cool night time breeze ruffled his hair but he didn't care in the slightest, nor did he care that it was the first time he was off the ship since he had been carried on by his master.

"_They are almost here my son. Is everything ready?"_

Matt slowly blinked and looked up at his master.

"_Yes father,"_ he replied, _"Everything is ready. The Mechs are all in place as are the other Guardians and I have the perfect link..."_

Even though he didn't hear anything Matt could feel that his master was pleased with him. It was a wonderful feeling; like being bathed in sunlight.

Off in the distance Matt could hear two voices approaching. One was Karen's; he recognized her voice anywhere and the other voice? His heart seemed to freeze in his chest for a nanosecond. The other voice was Ben's.

He was telling Karen about the Rebel Skitter and the Rebellion itself! With each passing moment; each crunch of a leaf underfoot his brother grew closer and closer to him. Soon they would be together. It was something that Matt wanted more than anything in the world. He was sure his master knew that too otherwise he wouldn't be there.

The box shook in his hand; the slug inside feeling Matt's excitement at hearing his brother's voice. It took a lot of control to not only calm himself down but calm the slug in the box down as well. If Ben felt them now then their little trap would not work.

Feeling his master touch his shoulders and give him a little push, Matt turned around and hid behind a tall group of trees with his master and the box he still held. It was not time to come out of hiding yet. Ben was close but he wasn't there yet. Just a few minutes more, just a few minutes more.

Matt closed his eyes and took a breath, telling himself to remain calm, keep his mind closed off to those that weren't part of the family.

Hearing the footsteps approach and the voices grow louder Matt opened his eyes. It was time to act. The trap was sprung and there was no getting away from it. Ben was theirs. Quietly he opened the box and removed the slug, holding it with one hand as he waited for the que to come out of hiding.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

"It's as you predicted. He's been in contact with the rebel leader."

That single statement from Karen caused Matt to heave the smallest of sighs as he continued to hide behind the tree just waiting for the opportune moment to approach. His master, several mechs and a few Skitters were securing the perimeter around Ben, doing their best to prevent him from running.

"You are wasting your time, I am not going to say anything more," Ben said, putting on a brave face.

While Karen gratefully accepted the new harness from her master, putting it on her back and allowing the connection to be reestablished, Matt himself finally stepped out from behind the tree and approached his brother, holding the other harness in it's slug like state.

Ben who had had his gaze on Karen just to make sure she didn't try anything physical, was suddenly drawn upward when he saw a bit of movement there. Eyes falling on the figure that was approaching, they widened when the figure was recognized.

"Matt!"

Glancing back at Karen for a split second, Ben roughly brushed past her as he hurriedly approached his brother. His shock and happiness at seeing his younger sibling was enough to block that feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him that Matt had been harnessed and was no longer his little brother, if only for a second.

"Come on Ben, just tell them what they want to know!" Matt pleaded in his childlike voice; something he hadn't used since he had been harnessed.

Ben looked down at his baby brother, noting the glowing monster on Matt's back and all at once his face, which had been happy and relieved, fell.

"Don't you want to be a family again? You remember how it felt to be one of them. They want you back...I want you back too." Matt's eyes flicked to the area behind his brother's back as a Skitter slid up behind Ben and grabbed him, pinning his arms to his sides and preventing him from struggling.

"There's so much I want to show you Ben, so much I want to teach you. Tom Mason, the 2nd Mass...humans! They have it all wrong. My master is just trying to bring a change on the world, a change that will make things better...you'll see..." Slowly Matt held the slug in his hands up so that the mouth was in line with Ben's neck. All he had to do was slide it between the Skitter and his brother's back and then the slug itself would do the rest. It would seek out his brother's neck and then it would attach to the spikes that were already in his back and then he would be returned to them.

Just as Matt reached Ben's side a shot rang out hitting the slug dead on, splattering it's insides and causing it to jerk out of the boy's hand. Seconds later a second shot rang out splattering the Skitter's head. After that all hell seemed to break loose. The mechs opened fire in the direction the shots came from and then more shots erupted from close by.

Matt, Karen and their Master all began to head in separate directions. The mechs would not hit them, in fact they and the Skitters would protect them.

As the youngest Mason child turned and began to climb up the hill he was stopped by his older brother who grabbed him and held him still.

"You need to come back with me!" Ben yelled in to his ear over the sound of mech fire and fire from whatever 2nd Mass unit was out there.

"No Ben!" Matt shot back, "I won't go back to the humans! They don't understand! They've been fighting a lost cause! The Espheni are trying to bring about a world of their own design...there is no use fighting them...!" Gritting his teeth Matt shoved Ben away and then climbed to his feet.

"Matt!" Ben yelled as he watched his brother move off up the hill and towards a large group of mechs. Knowing he couldn't go after them Ben crawled as quickly as he could towards the group of freedom fighters that he could both see and hear. He saw his father, Tector and a few others including Hal, Dye and Anthony but more importantly as he got closer he saw that they all had their weapons trained on a tall gray skinned being. Almost immediately the weapons fire stopped on both sides.

"They don't want to risk it getting hit..." Tom said as he looked around at all of the mechs standing down.

"He's too important to them," Ben agreed as he approached from the side. Almost immediately he embraced his father as Dye, Anthony, Hal and the other members of the rescue unit came up to escort the Espheni away.

"Well then, I guess he is coming with us," Tom said with a small grin. It was a small victory. Hal had told him that Ben and Karen had run off and that Maggie had been severely hurt. He had also said that Ben had put him in a sleeper hold until he had passed out. After having heard that it hadn't been too difficult to put two and two together to get four and then it had only been down to following Ben's tracks. Thankfully they had gotten there in time. The only thing Tom was curious about was the third body he had seen down there with Ben and Karen. It had been dark and he hadn't been able to see the person's face even with the mech lights having been shining on them.

Walking back to the truck with his father, Ben waited until the Espheni was loaded up and secure before he looked at Tom and Hal. He knew he needed to apologize to the both of them; especially Hal for more or less attacking him, but that was going to have to wait. Instead he said, "Dad...I saw Matt."

Tom Mason, Hal and Ben sat in an empty room. The three chairs they were occupying were placed in a circle so they could all look each other in the face if they so chose. As it was, neither of them were looking at the other.

Instead, they were all looking at their hands or at the ground.

"So...he was harnessed..." Tom murmured.

"Yeah..." came the whispered reply.

Tom knew in his heart that his baby boy had been harnessed yet hearing confirmation of that fact spewing forth from the lips of his middle child? It was hard to take.

For days, weeks even after agreeing to what seemed like an unholy alliance with the rebel Skitters, word had been sent out to search for the lost Mason boy but they had heard nothing, and now that Matt had been sighted with Karen and that gray monster fish-head, Tom didn't know what to do.

"We can't just leave him there," Hal said, "I mean, this is Matt we are talking about. Our brother, your son!"

"I know..." Tom mumbled with a nod of his head. Slowly he looked at his oldest, inwardly begging for help. "And how do you suggest getting him out?" he asked.

"Matt's not like the others, dad. I felt it when I was there with him. He...his harness doesn't have complete control, I mean it does but...Matt is in there too. What he did back there...part of that was his own decision. He wanted to go back with the mechs and skitters," Ben said.

Hal leaned forward on his knees, his jaw tight and his eyes filled with hatred and anger at the skitters that had once again torn their family apart.

"I hope you aren't suggesting we just shoot him the next time we see him," he said in a tone of voice that suggested he was simply refusing to do that.

"No, no of course not. All I'm saying is that when we get him back it's not going to be as simple as removing the harness. Doing that will help, it should break the connection but..." Ben cut himself off and looked away, not saying what he was thinking. It was obvious what he was thinking. Matt was going to be another 'Rick.' Even with the harness gone there would be a hatred of humans and there would be a deep yearning to get back to 'his own kind.' While Rick had eventually come around (not until after he had betrayed the 2nd Mass) neither Tom nor Ben nor Hal knew if the same was going to be said about Matt after they got him back.

"We will have a long road ahead no matter what happens," Tom said in a decisive manner. He didn't want to see his baby killed and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that that didn't happen but there were no guarantees or absolutes, not in this game!

Sighing, Tom stood up. Right now he wanted answers to his questions and that fish-head that was in lockup had better damn answer his questions or the fucking shit was going to hit the fucking fan. He may be just a history professor but he knew how to fight when he got angry.

Shouldering his weapon Tom Mason headed towards the door followed closely by his son Ben. Once the door closed behind them Tom heard Ben say, "I'm sorry for leaving him..."

He knew he was talking about Matt and leaving him in that firefight. Hearing the pain in Ben's voice; pain and regret, Tom stopped and placed a gloved hand on Ben's right shoulder.

"You did what you had to. You tried. There was nothing more you could have done, alright?" he insisted.

Ben didn't buy it for a second. He could have done so many things. He could have picked Matt up or he could have knocked Matt out and then carried him back to the 2nd Mass. Now, standing there without the guns going off every few seconds Ben kept thinking to himself that that was what he should have done.

"Hey, none of that. No regrets. So many things could have happened differently but we all got out of that situation unharmed, so did Matt. We will get him back just not today, and when we do he's going to need you..."

Slowly Ben nodded his head. His father was still terrible at pep talks but he understood where the man was coming from.

Seeing that his son no longer wanted to talk about it, Tom patted Ben's shoulder and then continued on his way towards the lockup on their carefully guarded prisoner.

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	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Tom Mason stormed out of the makeshift jail cell in the hospital half carrying half dragging his son Ben who's face was more or less covered in blood. Ben had been the translator for Tom and the Overlord. Because Ben was the only one with spikes willing to do it and since the fish-heads didn't communicate the normal way, Tom had had to let Ben in. However that fish-head; that bastard fish-head had played to Tom's weakness and hurt his son right in front of him. Truth be told Tom didn't really understand how it had happened; something to do with the spikes but Ben started bleeding from his nose and ears and then moments later he collapsed.

Seeing his son covered in that much blood that was so obviously his own had cut Tom Mason's heart to ribbons. It was why he had taken out his gun and shot the Overlord in the end. He had to protect his family no matter what and he sure as hell was not going to let that bastard torment his boys!

At first the questions had been relatively simple: Why were they here? Where were their bases? What the hell did they want? Technical stuff really that didn't seem nearly as important as the question he had asked last. Where was his son Matt?

The Overlord had just stared at him and Tom thought for sure that he saw a little smirk on that gray fish-head's mouth. There had been no verbal answer given, just Ben's suffering.

"Dad, I'm okay..." Ben breathed out, trying to convince his father that he was indeed okay. Truth be told he felt anything but. He felt entirely drained, as if he had lifted thousand pound weights for hours and then ran three marathons back-to-back. Ben could still feel, smell and taste the drying blood clinging to his face, ears and mouth. Even though he knew that he must look terrible he wanted to get back out there and help the 2nd Mass.

From the sound of it the Mechs and Skitters were causing hellfire and brimstone to rain down outside yet there was also weapons fire from 2nd Mass weapons.

"Uh uh, you can barely stand, Ben. I am taking you to see Anne and then you are going to rest in the infirmary," Tom said, having already made up his mind to not take any bullshit from his son. Most times he conceded to Ben because he knew in his heart that his middle child was right but Ben was so exhausted that there was no way he was going to let the boy back out there!

Hands tightening around his son, Tom managed to drag the boy in to the infirmary where Dr. Glass was. Seeing Ben's state she and Lourdes came around and took his son from him, helping Ben on to one of the gurney's nearby.

Knowing his son was getting the best care available to them, Tom turned and headed up front to speak with Captain Weaver whom was already up and about after recovering from that wound on his leg.

The night air was chilly to say the least but once outside the hospital it wasn't hard for Tom to find his commanding officer and friend. He just followed the sound of gunfire.

"Tom," Captain Weaver greeted upon seeing his friend.

"Captain," Tom greeted in return, "How are we holding up?" He was kneeling behind the overturned car, using it as cover as he quickly and stealthily took a peek over the side of it and past the barricade.

He couldn't see that far down the road; it looked empty but the street was foggy and there were those bright search lights. However, he knew from personal experience that those 'search lights' were Mech search lights which meant there were at least four of five of those things down there and who knows how many Skitters!

"They haven't tried to cross the barrier but they are keeping us busy here. Dye, Hal and Anthony are scouting out the back just to make sure they don't try and send anything that way." Captain Weaver said.

It was a good idea, they had to watch all areas in and around the hospital just to make sure they weren't flanked and then crushed.

Their situation was desperate. Being trapped like rats in a cage wasn't the most ideal of situations. While they held the Overlord they had some leverage but that wasn't going to last forever. Sooner or later Tom knew that the enemy would try to overrun them and take their leader back by force.

"Tector came back an hour before they hit with a truck load of fuel, there's enough to get all our vehicles to Charleston," Dan said, looking at his friend, "we just have to get ourselves out of this standoff."

That was a little bit of good news to the Mason patriarch. They had the fuel which meant that they had the means to escape, they just needed an opening, but with Mechs and Skitters guarding the entrances to the hospital that was damn near impossible to break through, not without costing lives.

All of a sudden the Mechs stopped firing. Curious, Tom and Dan peeked over the edge of the car, still seeing nothing but the searchlights from the Mechs which just as suddenly switched off.

"What the hell...?" Dan muttered, wondering what that meant. Not five minutes later an out of breath Hal Mason ran up to them. He was covered in sweat and he had small pieces of dirt clinging to his brow.

"They sent a mech and a few skitters in through the back," he said trying to catch his breath, "but we took care of them."

"Well...that explains the ceasefire..." Dan muttered, "just have to wonder how long it's going to last."

Tom saw Hal shake his head, his eyes filled with anger and his jaw set. He knew Hal was still upset and honestly he was too. Karen had taken one of the 2nd Mass prisoner and had in the end presented that man: Boone to them like he was a slab of meat. That damn white flag that she had held up didn't mean a thing really because while she had let Boone walk, the man didn't have a chance. The mechs had cut him down down before he had even reached the barricade perimeter.

"Sooner or later," Tom muttered, "Karen is going to figure out that her boss is bleeding out in the psych ward,"

"What?!" Hal and Captain Weaver said in unison, looking at Tom is shock and confusion. "You shot him?" the Captain asked.

"He was killing Ben, I had to shoot him," Tom replied. He knew he should have told his Captain sooner but he hadn't. Dan had to be kept apprised so they could go over their options after every decision. Shooting their one piece of leverage didn't sound like the best idea in the world, still if it had gone after one of their own then what was one to do?

"I think what that thing did proves that the Skitter was telling the truth," Tom said.

"How so?" Dan asked, still not really convinced that the whole skitter rebellion was actually happening.

"Well...the Skitter told me that a Death Squad was coming after him and then not twenty four hours later Karen shows up? Why send someone to infiltrate us and steal Ben?" Tom asked.

"To gain intel on the 2nd Mass; to find out where we were headed..." Dan said. It sounded like a plausible explanation; more so than this so called Skitter Rebellion!

"Then why not kidnap you? Or me? Or Hal or any one of us? Why go through this elaborate setup just for that? We don't pose enough of a threat to them to constitute having an infiltrator in our camp. But! If what the Skitter told me was true, if they did find a way to overcome their harness and if they found a way to overthrow their masters..."

The more Tom explained it to him the more this whole rebellion thing sounded plausible. Dan rubbed his chin for a moment, mulling it over.

"It sure would put their whole entire war machine at risk, Tom. A threat that big...I don't know...maybe it could be true. But, it still doesn't solve the problem we have right now! As you said, sooner or later Karen is going to find out that her boss is bleeding out and when she does we are not going to have any more cards to play!"

Tom pursed his lips in thought. It was a problem but it didn't have to be.

"Maybe she should find out, Dan. Sooner rather than later..." A small smile coming to his face, Tom quickly moved off. He had to act quickly. He knew where there was some C4 and he knew that people like Pope wouldn't mind torching some Skitters.

After gathering Anthony, Pope and Dye, Tom laid out his plan. It was quite simple; line the Overlord's cell with C4 and if Karen didn't give them what they wanted then the C4 would be detonated, destroying the entire hospital and everything inside. Yes it would mean their deaths but it would also kill the Overlord and Karen if they could get her to come in.

It took less than twenty minutes for the C4 to be planted and rigged and even less time for Tom to go back to Dan Weaver and lay out his plan. It was a bold plan but even Dan doubted that nothing less would get them out of their current predicament.

Karen wanted to see her master, she had even requested it during that little display of power where Boone had been killed. So, now she was going to get to see her master with one single added portion of the deal.

"KAREN!" Tom yelled in to the darkness. He knew she was out there and he knew that she was listening. "YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR MASTER? THEN COME AND SEE HIM...JUST AS SOON AS YOU BRING MATT IN!"

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	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Tom Mason waited anxiously inside the main entrance to the hospital. He was waiting for Hal to bring Karen and Matt in. While Karen hadn't been too keen on the idea of Matt accompanying her, Tom had made it quite clear that without Matt being present, then Karen's boss would be sent back to them in little, tiny pieces.

For Tom, waiting was the hard part. He knew his son wouldn't be his son and yet trying to picture young Matt with one of those harnesses strapped to his back, attaching him to the Overlord's and the main Skitter force, it was hard to fathom.

To be honest it hurt him down deep. He had promised his wife a long time ago that he would keep their boy's safe. At first it was until they all grew up, got married, got jobs and then moved out. However, when the invasion hit, his promise became a daily vow. He made it his life's mission to make sure that his boy's got another day on the Earth. They, along with all of the other young folk not just in the 2nd Mass but all over the world, they were the future of the human race. It really all came down to them. Insuring their survival meant insuring that human kind would not be erased from history.

As he continued to wait, Tom mulled over what he was going to do. He could trade the Overlord fish-head to Karen in exchange for Matt but then what? They would still be trapped there. Sure Dr. Glass could get the harness off of his baby's back but if Karen and her forces attacked the hospital they could easily reclaim Matt and re harness him. However, if Tom traded the Overlord to Karen in exchange for the 2nd Mass' safe passage away from the hospital then that meant he would have to leave Matt behind.

Honestly, just thinking of that left a bad taste in his mouth. Knowingly leaving one of his own behind in the hands of the enemy...it hurt and he didn't know if he could do it at all.

Just like that though the time for mulling and thinking was over. The doors leading to the outside were opened and Karen and Matt was pushed through; Hal none to gently pushing Karen along until they all stopped in front of Tom Mason.

Wordlessly Tom looked Karen over. She had a smug sense of calmness all over her features as if this was just some sort of game and she had just gotten the upper hand and checkmate was inevitable. Continuing to keep silent Tom let his eyes drift downward to take in his son, Matt. The boy was standing right beside Karen, his facial features matching Karen's and yet Tom could see the anger in the boy's eyes; anger not directed at Karen and the Skitters but at him and him alone.

Slowly, not being able to help himself Tom reached out with his right hand, trying to brush Matt's hair just enough to convince him of the fact that yes his youngest was standing right there in front of him but just as his dirty fingers touched the slightly curly hair, Matt reacted. His jawline tightened and he smacked Tom's hand away.

"Don't touch me!" he ordered, "Take us to our master!"

Karen looked down at Matt for a split second; the look on her face remained unchanged. To Tom it looked as if she were proud of Matt in some way for his reaction, yet witnessing his own son reject him, it was all Tom could do not to burst out crying right in front of them.

Gently lowering his hand Tom gestured with his head, turned and then started to walk. Seconds later Karen and Matt started to walk; Matt a half step in front of Karen and Hal bringing up the rear. They walked past dozens of frightened and wary civilians and fighters from the 2nd Mass, all looking at them with hate filled eyes.

After rounding a corner the four of them found Ben waiting, leaning against a gurney. He looked better; his face was all clean and he looked stronger.

Tom and Ben exchanged nods, so Ben stood up a little straighter, keeping his weapon close but not bringing it to bear on Karen or Matt.

Seeing Ben though, Matt couldn't help but speak. "If only I could have shown you what my master has shown me. Every living thing, every grain of sand on a beach every star in the sky is linked by an intricate web of causality. If you can comprehend that web in it's entirety down to the movements of the smallest sub atomic particles then you can predict the course of events and alter them."

"Wow, now that was the biggest load of crap I've ever heard..." the voice that had spoken up hadn't been Ben. Instead it was Hal.

Looking behind him, Matt glared up at his oldest brother. The remark hadn't been for him but for Ben.

"We knew only too well where exactly to place those de harnessed kids so that you and that other girl could find them and Karen."

"Yeah? Well you must have missed a sub atomic particle or two little brother because things haven't exactly gone according to plan after that, have they?" Hal shot back.

"There are always unexpected variables that require adjustments," Karen interjected in her calm, cool and collected voice. "I made them and now you are handing our master over to us..." as she said that she placed an arm around Matt's shoulders to indicate she was referring to herself and the boy.

Seeing his ex girlfriend touching his little brother as if she could possibly care for him made Hal angry. He wanted to rip her hand off of Matt, pick the boy up and then take him to the infirmary so that Dr. Glass could remove that infernal thing on his back. However Hal didn't move. He didn't want to do anything that would cause those mechs and skitters outside to open fire once more. They were only going to get one shot at this deal and he for one wasn't going to mess it up!

Rounding another corner they arrived at the doors leading to the psych ward. Slowly Tom pushed the door open and gestured with his head for both Karen and Matt to proceed him in to the anti room. Inside that room were several guards and just past those guards in a small room was their master. Stepping through to the anti chamber, Matt and Karen continued to stand side-by-side just watching the guards closely until Tom, Hal and Ben stepped through and closed the door behind them.

Matt for one was glad. He could feel his master's presence close by. Focusing on that feeling he reached out but he didn't get that warm reception he always got. Instead he felt different, he felt pain and weakness!

"Something's wrong..." he murmured. Immediately he rushed in to the room where his master was; Karen right behind him.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" he screamed, seeing his loving master there on the floor looking half dead.

Tears coming to his eyes he squatted there on the floor over his master, hands reaching out to touch his wounded Overlord.

"It's okay," he whispered, "you are going to be okay...you have to be okay..."

"Dr. Glass did what she could to stop the bleeding," Tom said keeping his voice calm and even. "I don't know much about his physiology but I don't think he's going to last much longer..." It was so hard for him watching his youngest shed those tears for an Overlord. Once upon a time he wouldn't even think about it but now...it was like he didn't know his boy anymore!

Gritting his teeth in anger, Matt let out a yell and then ran at his father; murder clear in his eyes. There was no doubt that if he reached Tom Mason then he was going to rip the man's throat out. Ben moved to stop Matt from reaching their father but Karen was quicker. She wrapped her arms around Matt holding him in place. They couldn't afford a mistake like that. There were enemies all around them with weapons that could easily kill them.

"Now, are you ready to listen?!" Tom demanded, talking to Karen but actually keeping his gaze on his son, "Good! Because you can still save him!"

"How?" Karen demanded to know. She herself wanted to rip Tom's throat out but she needed to be the calm one in this situation.

"See this?" Hal asked, drawing both Karen and Matt's attention to the door and the walls of the cell, "It's plastic explosive. There's more outside. Enough to take out the entire floor. It's connected to a detonator controlled by two of our guys, one of them's Pope. I believe you remember him and he will have absolutely no problem blowing you both and your master straight to hell."

Karen smirked. "Then our airstrike would kill you all and besides, you would never kill your own flesh and blood."

Tom inwardly gritted his teeth at that but he needed to stay strong even though what he was about to say was going to be like driving stakes through his heart.

"That's not my son..." he said pointing at Matt. "He may look like my son he may talk like my son but he isn't my son. All I see is just another harnessed child no different from all of the others. He is a part of the skitter's forces and that makes him just another enemy that deserves a bullet in his head." To prove his point Tom took his weapon and pointed the barrel at Matt's head, his finger squeezing the trigger slightly; not enough to actually trigger the gun to go off but hard enough that if one looked they could see the trigger slowly move back.

"You see, that C4 goes off and we all die; even your Overlord. But, we don't have to go down that road. You let the 2nd Mass evacuate and then you are free to leave. And, if you hurry you might even be able to save his life..." Tom said, lifting his eyes to look Karen in the eye.

Both Ben and Hal looked towards their father. They both wanted to add 'and Matt comes with us' but that would mean that their father's previous bluff about Matt no longer mattering to him was just that, a bluff, and that couldn't happen. None of them wanted to leave Matt behind but they couldn't sacrifice the entire 2nd Mass just for their brother.

The seconds ticked by like hours. Karen and Tom glaring at each other and then Karen and Matt looking down at their master.

"Very well..." Karen finally said, "You and the 2nd Mass are free to leave."

After the deal was struck, everyone left the psych ward; Tom and his two boys being the last out. They heard Karen speak to Matt asking him if he wanted to say goodbye to his family but Matt's hate filled words crushed all of their hearts: "They're not my family...I hate them!"

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	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

Tom Mason slammed his fist down on the dash as the truck he was seated in turned on to the highway. Karen had been true to her word. The 2nd Mass had been allowed to leave the hospital with absolutely no problems whatsoever. There had been mechs; oh yes there had been mechs that were online and functional but none of them had opened fire.

Now an hours ride away from the hospital all Tom had to keep his mind occupied was what he had said to Karen; to his son. Never in a million years did he ever think he would have to say something like that about one of his children _to_ one of his children. He loved them all dearly; they were a part of him, but to say that he didn't care and then nearly shoot one of them?

"You did what you had to do, dad."

Tom looked over at his son Ben who was behind the steering wheel, driving the truck they were in along the highway, following close behind the Med Bus.

"Did I?" Tom asked, not believing that he had.

"If you hadn't said what you had or done what you did we would have never gotten out of there. I love Matt, we all love Matt but sometimes we have to leave the thing we love behind for the greater good. Your decision saved the 2nd Mass, it got us out of there and it's giving us time to regroup and come up with a plan to get Matt back without having to make more bargains with Karen."

Ben looked over at his father, seeing the look on the man's face. He was still grieving but he needed to suck it up. The game wasn't over. There was still a chance for them to rescue Matt they just needed time.

"Matt still loves you, deep down I know he does. He's just being manipulated and used. If we can break their hold on him I know he can be saved..." Ben was trying to provide his father with at least some hope. Whether or not the man would believe it was entirely up to him.

"Do you think your skitter friends can help?" Tom asked.

"They can help find him and keep track of him but we are on our own in terms of trying to win him over," Ben replied. "They can't just go up to him and tell him they are part of the rebellion. Right now he is just another one of them. He would turn anyone in who said that. We need somewhere, a safe environment where we could get him and help him rehabilitate. The rebels can keep watch, even help plan and execute a rescue mission but everything else is up to the 2nd Mass."

Ben fell silent for a little bit, allowing his father to contemplate. His dad was an excellent strategist at times, then again sometimes his mission plans sucked. He was willing time and again to put himself in danger just so his own children wouldn't be put in it; Hal had told him how reluctant his dad had been when his own rescue mission had been planned out, but in the end Tom had agreed. That was the most important thing; he had agreed. It meant that even though he was uncomfortable with something he was willing to give it a chance to succeed or fail.

"The Overlord's really are worried."

Hearing Ben speak up again pulled Tom Mason out of his self absorbed musings to focus once more on his boy.

"In the field. He was trying to get inside my head. He got nothing from me but I was able to see and hear what he was thinking. The thought of this skitter rebellion is what he's scared of most. The thought that his plan could entirely fall apart; it's what's driving him to act."

"And Matt?" Tom asked, "where does he fit in to all this?"

"I don't know but there was one thing I could sense quite clearly. The Overlord that we captured; the one that we shot? He's the one that took Matt out of that harnessing facility. He...he has a plan in mind for Matt. What it is I couldn't see but...dad, he loves Matt. I could feel that connection clearly. He loves Matt the same way you do and I think Matt feels the same way about him that he did for you," Ben replied.

"When you think about it Matt hasn't been with them that long. All of that can't be from the harness can it? I mean he isn't acting like all of the other harnessed kids we've seen," Tom mused.

"He isn't acting like the others because he's different. Something to do with the harness' reaction. I don't think it's the defect that the rebel skitters have, I think it's deliberate tampering. Someone wants him this way; self aware yet easy to sway."

What Ben said made sense in a way. Someone; perhaps the Overlord had to be messing with Matt's harness. It didn't make him a seemingly mindless zombie with that slow gate, dazed expression and all. He seemed somewhat like his normal self only it seemed to both Tom and Ben that he had done a complete 180 and switched sides; throwing his love for his family and the 2nd Mass out the door and replacing it with love for the skitters and their masters.

What worried Tom the most was the possibility of not being able to reach Matt at all. What if in the end Matt wanted nothing to do with them like Rick had? Tom remembered only too well how Rick had disabled their jamming device and then had run off to the skitters. He had chased after him and had found him but by then it had been too late. Rick had told the skitters everything about the 2nd Mass including their location at that school and then from what Rick had said the harnessed girl had just left him. That had been the turning point for Rick, when he realized that the skitters didn't really care for him at all. From what Ben said about the Overlord that wasn't the case with Matt. There were actual feelings in there somewhere; feelings for his youngest. If in the end Matt wanted to return to the Overlord and the Skitters would he actually allow it?

...

They were gone. The second the sound of that last engine faded away the mechs and skitters swarmed over that hospital in earnest.

Matt and Karen and another skitter carefully lifted the Overlord and just as gently carried him on board the ship that had landed in the hospital parking lot.

"I should have killed him! Why didn't you let me kill him?" Matt demanded to know of Karen. His master was hurt; dying in his arms, and Karen hadn't even allowed him the honor of attacking if not killing the person that had injured him in the first place.

"It wasn't the time or place for that Matt," Karen replied, her voice once again soft and even, as if she were speaking to a lover or close friend. "Tom and the others had the upper hand. If you had reached out and hurt your father, your brothers could have easily killed our master."

What Karen said was true enough but Matt didn't believe it. He didn't believe his brothers would be that stupid as to finish off his master just because he would have killed Tom Mason, their father.

"Besides, you would have regretted it if you had ended your father's life..." Karen continued.

"No I wouldn't. He raised his gun to me, besides he doesn't support what we are trying to do here. He's not my father! I don't call anyone friend or family that doesn't condone or support our master's control. Our guardian gave us a gift, he's helping us to see the truth." Matt said.

"And what is the truth, Matt?" Karen asked.

Before Matt could answer they reached the medical area of the ship. As one Matt, Karen and the Skitter carried the Overlord over to a pure white yet clear slab with four handles cut in to the sides; two on each side. The slab looked large enough to handle a full size human yet as they neared it seemed to lengthen. By the time they were right next to it, it had stretched so that it could accommodate the Overlord's long size.

Gently they lifted the Overlord on to it. Instantly a large white screen came from the top of the slab; a greenish light washing over the Overlord. Moments later that greenish light turned to one of pure white light, bathing the Overlord's injuries which slowly started to heal.

"What is the truth Matt?" Karen asked, looking away from their master and towards the boy that continued to stare down at the Espheni.

"The truth?" Matt asked, "The truth is that there are no absolutes in this world. You can plan all you want; plan against every possibility and yet something can go wrong, it always does. The truth is the weak never win; they die and the strong survive. We can't be the weak ones Karen...the humans are weak. We can't be like them..."

"And we won't be Matt, we won't be. We may have been human once but not anymore. We have grown beyond that. Today we are human but tomorrow we are Espheni..."

Softly smiling Matt nodded and placed his smaller hand on top of Karen's hand. "We are Espheni," he repeated, meaning it whole heartedly.

Hearing and feeling how much Matt meant what he said Karen realized that the time was now. Her master had spoken to her about the Change. He had wanted them both to take it. Now, with Matt's co operation they both could undergo it. The one thing that they needed to completely make it work was a willing host. Ones that were under the harness' complete control weren't the best candidates but neither Matt nor Karen were under their harness' complete control and yet they both were loyal to the Espheni.

"Come with me Matt, there is much to do before we face the 2nd Mass again..." Karen said, heading towards the door that led out of the medical bay. With one look at his master, Matt turned and followed Karen from the room.

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	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

The next few weeks saw a few changes for the 2nd Mass. A few days before they reached Charleston, Ben left them so he could better help not only them but the rebel skitters. Tom hadn't wanted him to leave the group but Ben had pointed out that it was for the best. Other people needed to be told about the resistance and that they weren't alone. Having the 2nd Mass alone know about the skitter rebellion wasn't going to do anyone else any good. The more people that knew the better off they would all be as the more people that knew the stronger their odds would be when it was time to fight.

Soon after, they made it to Charleston and hooked up with Porter and a man by the name of Arthur Manchester who was in charge of the human resistance movement in Charleston and the elected leader of the community.

No matter how much Tom tried to fit in there he couldn't focus for long because all of his thoughts were on his lost son, Matt. After leaving the hospital there had been absolutely no word from anyone as to his whereabouts. Ben had sworn to him that the rebel skitters would keep their eyes on Matt but so far there were absolutely no updates.

Time and again Tom would make a pack and attempt to leave the safety of Charleston and time and again his good friend Dan Weaver would stop him. Dan and some of the other members of the 2nd Mass had joined the newly formed military of Charleston; Dan actually having been granted a promotion to the rank of Colonel.

"Hello?"

Hearing the feminine voice right beside him, Tom smiled and looked up from the very old looking children's book he was holding.

He was in his home; an office space with a king size bed, a few chairs, a sofa, some cabinets and counter tops and a small table. It wasn't much of a home really but it was comfortable enough. It was something he shared with Anne Glass; the 2nd Mass medic whom he had fallen in love with. He never said it out loud but those lingering looks, the touches and their kisses of late told a different story.

"What?" he asked, looking Anne in the eyes.

"I was just saying that those books aren't your style..." Anne said, trying to be lighthearted as she looked down at the book in Tom's hands. She could see that his eyes, in fact his entire face was clouded in worry for his boy. She had heard what had happened at the hospital; what Tom had said to get them out of there. She knew it must have torn him up inside and in all honest it was easy to see that he was still hurting.

"I found these in the library," Tom mumbled, "they were Matt's favorites. Whenever I read this one to him he would always say that he wanted to fly off to Neverland and become a Lost Boy." He put down the book entitled _Peter Pan_ and picked up the other childrens book, glancing down at the title.

"He liked the animated movie more than the book. Every time he would watch it and for a week afterwords he would always beg me for a Dalmatian puppy."

Anne smiled and also glanced at the title. "_101 Dalmatians_," she murmured, "it was one of my favorites too."

Wrapping her arms around Tom's shoulders, Anne rested her head on the top of his right shoulder.

"You'll see him again," she said. "And you'll think of some way to get through to him, I know you will..."

Tom didn't say it but he was silently wishing that he had her confidence. It seemed like everyone believed they would get Matt back except him...and Pope and his Berserkers but they were the rough, tough, don't mess with me or I'll blow your head off types that didn't seem to really believe in anything.

Feeling Tom pull away from her Anne just let him go. She watched him rise up from his seat on the bed, walk across the floor and leave the room.

She wasn't a psychologist. Hell, she wasn't a combat medic anymore. Upon their arrival in Charleston she had been downgraded to what she had done before the invasion: pediatrics. While she loved kids and she had loved her job before the invasion, patching up the wounded was what she was so used to doing that having to step away from that was difficult.

In some ways; a lot of ways Charleston was good for the 2nd Mass, it gave them a chance to rest. However, in a lot of other ways it was one of the worst decisions that Dan and Tom both had made. Anne had seen the looks that she and the other members of the 2nd Mass had gotten. People didn't seem to like them let alone trust them that much and Arthur Manchester? He may be Tom's friend but his whole idea of leadership was to stick his head in the sand and just pretend that the invasion had never happened!

Sighing, Anne rose up from her seat on the bed as well. She needed to get down to the infirmary; her shift was going to be starting soon and the doctor on call hated when she was late.

...

The blaring of the loud alarm spread throughout the underground community of Charleston. It was alerting the guards that there was an enemy threat present. Tom Mason, Colonel Dan Weaver, Tector and other members of the Charleston Guard all rushed towards the perimeter with their weapons drawn and raised.

The first thing that Tom saw were several skitters moving towards them at a slow pace. That was indeed very alarming but when his eyes discerned another figure his eyes widened.

"Ben?!" he called out, recognizing his son. Ben was slowly walking towards them with his weapon strapped to his back and his arms up, showing that he wasn't a threat.

"Don't shoot..." he pleaded, "they are friendly..."

Immediately Tom went out to greet his son, glancing behind him at Dan and the other soldiers. "Don't shoot!" he ordered even though he didn't have any real authority, "He's my son!" Tom quickly went over to Ben, hugging him tightly even though they were not in the safest of environments.

"What are you doing here?" Tom asked. He was glad to see his son of course but Charleston was still very wary of skitters and harnessed people in general, thinking that they all still worked for the Overlords.

"There have been some new developments dad, please...we need to speak to whomever is in charge...it's important."

Ben looked his father in the eye hoping that his dad would get the message. He knew that coming there to Charleston was a gamble. His friend Red Eye whom the 2nd Mass had released, had a far outreaching hand. Many skitters looked up to him, including Ben himself. News had come down the line; news that Ben knew his father and Charleston needed to hear. It concerned them all, the Overlord they had let live and it also concerned Matt.

Seeing the look on his son's face, Tom looked behind him at Dan Weaver and General Bressler who had come up to find out what the problem was.

It took some amount of convincing to get Bressler to make his units stand down but after the agreement was made, Tom, the General and Dan led Ben and the skitter leader down in to Charleston and to Arthur Manchester's office.

Once everyone was in the office; Tom, Ben, Red Eye, Dan, the General and Arthur Manchester, Ben looked at Red Eye. Seconds later Ben's features relaxed and the spikes on the back of his neck started to glow.

At that point Tom knew that it was no longer Ben he would be talking to, but Red Eye himself.

"Greetings Professor Mason, it has been a long time..." Ben said in a calm voice.

"Yes it has," Tom said looking at Red Eye.

"Many of our operatives on this continent have relayed information to us; information that you would find invaluable. The Overlord for instance; the one you captured several weeks back. If you realized how important he was to the enemy I doubt that you would have let him remain alive."

Tom looked at the skitter curiously. He remembered the Overlord all too well not just from the time at the hospital but also the time he had spent on the alien ship as it had been that Overlord he had spoken to through Karen.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"That particular Overlord controls all Espheni military movements on the East Coast. If he were to die then the Espheni war machine in this region would be thrown in to complete and utter chaos. We have information on his whereabouts; where he will be in the upcoming days and so on. Opportunities to seize an Overlord rarely happen twice."

"And you want us to what? Kill him for you?" Arthur Manchester asked in a tone of voice that suggested he was anything but convinced.

"Yes," Ben said in his calm, cool voice. "We cannot do it ourselves as our presence would be felt long before we could get close."

"This is ridiculous..." Arthur mumbled. It was clear that he wasn't buying any of it.

"There is more..." Red Eye said through Ben. "Tom Mason, our scouts and informants have revealed that your time for reclaiming your lost son is quickly running out. We have been told that the Overlord plans to make your son undergo what you would call 'The Change.' If this is allowed to happen then the boy you knew as your son will be gone with no hope of return. He will become an Espheni."

"How?" Tom asked.

"It is a procedure that will rewrite his entire DNA sequence and replace portions of it with Espheni DNA. Within one of your years he will no longer look human but instead he will take on the appearance of an Espheni. When that happens he will no longer be your son."

Tom paled after hearing that. It wasn't enough that the Espheni had to take and harness his son but now they wanted to change his DNA and make him one of them?! Tom felt sick and angry at the same time; both feelings fighting for dominance.

"In two days time the Overlord and young Mason will be inspecting a new Espheni weapon that is nearing completion some 200 miles from this location. Once the inspection is complete the Espheni will have your son undergo the change on board his ship."

"So what you are saying is we have to not only kill the Overlord but destroy the weapon and take back my son all at the same time?" Tom asked.

"It is a risk," Red Eye agreed, "but if it is not done..."

"Then this rebellion is all for nothing..." Tom muttered.

"Exactly..." Red Eye replied.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

My description of 'The Change' is my take on an explanation of a scene in season one episode eight 'What Hides Beneath.' The particular scene is when Dr. Glass discovers that the Skitters were actually harnessed and she gave rise to the possibility that the Skitters were perhaps at one time something else. My explanation on how they became the way there are is 'The Change.'


End file.
